[Syrphidae] "Pterallastes" is Palumbia

[christian thompson]

Gerard:

Your is a very nice female specimen of Palumbia bellieri (Bigot).

When you receive my reprint*, you will note that I separated the two
European species largely by leg color. Palumbia eristaloides
Portschinsky has almost entirely pale, orange legs, whereas bellieri has
mainly brownish black legs. 

I am surprised that you came up with Pterallastes as I notice that I
did include Palumbia in our Nearctic key. The easiest character to
separate the two genera is Pterallastes has cell R1 broadly open and
Palumbia has it closed and petiolate (like Eristalis / Milesia).

NICE new record.

 NOW all we need to discover is what Palumbia does? Is its biology like
that of Milesia & Spilomyia and the larvae in "decaying heartwood of
deciduous trees, including rot-holes?" [to quote Graham]

*Thompson, F. C. (1975) The genus Palumbia Rondani (Diptera:
Syrphidae). Proc. Ent. Soc. Washington 77: 194-211.